How to Grow an Angel's Trumpet Plant From Seed

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How to Grow an Angel's Trumpet Plant From Seed

Overview

The angel's trumpet plant originated in South America and is also known as brugmansia. It is a night flowering plant, which means the flowers open up at dusk and close at sunrise. The beautiful, huge flowers look like trumpet horns hanging down and they have a sweet heavenly fragrance, hence the name angel's trumpet. These plants can be propagated from cuttings or seed, but a word of caution: all parts of the plant, including the seed pods are extremely toxic. You must wear gloves to work with them.

Step 1

Soak seeds in warm water for 24 hours to loosen the corky covering from the seed. Once it is soft, peel off the covering to reveal the seeds.

Step 2

Place peat pots on a paper towel in a colander. Pour boiling water over them to sterilize the soil and to wet the pots. Allow the pots to drain and cool.

Step 3

Mix one part bleach with 10 parts water in a bowl. Place the seeds in the solution for 10 minutes to kill and bacteria or fungus on them.

Step 4

Place one or two seeds in each peat pot and cover lightly with potting soil. If it's possible to press them into the pot so they are mostly covered, you will not need the soil. This will depend on the type of peat pots you use.

Step 5

Place the peat pots in a warm area with some light. Direct sunlight may be too harsh depending on the time of year, so either use indirect sunlight or artificial light. Average germination time is one month, but it can take place as early as two weeks to as long as several months.

Step 6

Mist the pots when they start to dry and keep the pots in an area with good ventilation. You can use a small fan on a low speed if you don't have good ventilation. The seeds like moisture and humidity, but will die if they have too much water.

Step 7

Transplant the seedlings to larger containers when they have at least two leaves on them. Use a good-quality potting soil and keep the seedlings in morning sun and afternoon shade. Plant the seedlings outdoors in late spring in Zone 9 or warmer, or keep them in containers in any other gardening zone.

Tips and Warnings

Use gloves when handling the seeds, especially if you are taking the seeds from fresh pods from a plant. The sticky substance is poisonous and will cause skin problems.
Do not keep these seeds or plants around small children or pets that tend to eat plants or flowers.

About this Author

Dale DeVries is a retired realtor with 30 years of experience in almost every facet of the business. DeVries started writing in 1990 when she wrote advertising and training manuals for her real estate agents. Since retiring, she has spent the last two years writing well over a thousand articles online for Associated Content, Bright Hub and Demand Studios.